chell
Mushu's Best Friend
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MAC! Hey there. Glad you could make it. I'm glad you enjoy it. At least you've talked to me enough to know how crazy I really am.
Don't be drooling over Larry like you did before.
Taking a shot at a dining review - Our Honeymoon - Now Complete
- Thread starter chell
- Start date
MAC! Hey there. Glad you could make it. I'm glad you enjoy it. At least you've talked to me enough to know how crazy I really am.
Don't be drooling over Larry like you did before.
chell
Mushu's Best Friend
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Thursday morning (ugh, it sucks all over again to think of how close were getting to the end of our trip) we were scheduled to have breakfast at Chef Mickeys at 7:30 but we called the night before to cancel. We just arent bug breakfast eaters and we wanted to sleep in. That day it was raining and rather cool. We took out our ponchos and headed for the Magic Kingdom. We kept thinking we should have put on more clothing. We were cold and our feet were getting wet. There werent many people out because the weather but we decided we would eat lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern then head back to our room for a while. I think we took a nap, but dont remember. After a while we headed to the AKL for dinner at Jiko.
Let me get even a little more sidetracked here. Im so happy of this picture that Larry took that I just had to share it here for you all to see.
Isnt that awesome? He is such a great photographer. As you have already seen, he took most of our pictures. He loves to do it and he does such a great job that he is now our professional photographer.
Like I said, it was rainy and cool out so this turned out being the perfect lunch location for us this day. I ordered the Tavern Fried Cheese, New England Pot Roast & the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake. Larry ordered the Crab Cake, William Penn Pasta & Three-Chocolate Brownie.
Sorry that we didnt take any pictures here. We were just too cold to think of anything besides heat and warm food.
The fried cheese was very good. I like the fact that they offer you two kinds of cheeses instead of just mozzarella. The cheddar cheese curds were very yummy! I could eat a lot more of those. I dont know if Ive mentioned this yet but I am a very picky eater and Im a foodie so there are some dishes I just wont order out. Generally I will not order a pot roast out because sometimes they are just blah and sit heavily on my stomach and have a nasty after taste. But since it was so cold and I saw some others plates of this dish I just had to try it. The plates they were bringing others looked and smelled SO good. I was all set to get the Pilgrims Feast. Boy am I glad I got the pot roast. It was perfectly cooked and the gravy was seasoned perfectly. The meat was very tender, you didnt need a knife to cut it. This was the perfect dish for a cold rainy day. Now I dont know that I would order this on a hot summer day though even though it was so good. The dessert was good too but I was too full to eat it all.
Larry enjoyed the crab cake but said mine are better. I buy them at Lowes Foods pre-made from their meat counter and throw them in the oven for 10 minutes. How can it be anything I do? He is so silly. Night before last I got him some crab cakes when we went grocery shopping and he heated them this time. He said they werent as good as when I heat them. See how crazy he is? He did NOT like the succotash because it was cold. He was expecting the succotash to be warm. We had a discussion about how neither of us had ever had succotash before and about the different variations we have seen. In my family it always included tomatoes and okra. I always tried to avoid it because I dont like okra.
Anyway, he liked the crab cake and ate it all. He said the pasta was awesome. He said he definitely wants to go back to get the pasta again.
We had to ask for bread to be brought out to us. I dont know if this is the normal here or not. We were starving since we skipped breakfast and didnt sleep in too late.
Let me get even a little more sidetracked here. Im so happy of this picture that Larry took that I just had to share it here for you all to see.
Isnt that awesome? He is such a great photographer. As you have already seen, he took most of our pictures. He loves to do it and he does such a great job that he is now our professional photographer.
Like I said, it was rainy and cool out so this turned out being the perfect lunch location for us this day. I ordered the Tavern Fried Cheese, New England Pot Roast & the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake. Larry ordered the Crab Cake, William Penn Pasta & Three-Chocolate Brownie.
Sorry that we didnt take any pictures here. We were just too cold to think of anything besides heat and warm food.
The fried cheese was very good. I like the fact that they offer you two kinds of cheeses instead of just mozzarella. The cheddar cheese curds were very yummy! I could eat a lot more of those. I dont know if Ive mentioned this yet but I am a very picky eater and Im a foodie so there are some dishes I just wont order out. Generally I will not order a pot roast out because sometimes they are just blah and sit heavily on my stomach and have a nasty after taste. But since it was so cold and I saw some others plates of this dish I just had to try it. The plates they were bringing others looked and smelled SO good. I was all set to get the Pilgrims Feast. Boy am I glad I got the pot roast. It was perfectly cooked and the gravy was seasoned perfectly. The meat was very tender, you didnt need a knife to cut it. This was the perfect dish for a cold rainy day. Now I dont know that I would order this on a hot summer day though even though it was so good. The dessert was good too but I was too full to eat it all.
Larry enjoyed the crab cake but said mine are better. I buy them at Lowes Foods pre-made from their meat counter and throw them in the oven for 10 minutes. How can it be anything I do? He is so silly. Night before last I got him some crab cakes when we went grocery shopping and he heated them this time. He said they werent as good as when I heat them. See how crazy he is? He did NOT like the succotash because it was cold. He was expecting the succotash to be warm. We had a discussion about how neither of us had ever had succotash before and about the different variations we have seen. In my family it always included tomatoes and okra. I always tried to avoid it because I dont like okra.
Anyway, he liked the crab cake and ate it all. He said the pasta was awesome. He said he definitely wants to go back to get the pasta again.
We had to ask for bread to be brought out to us. I dont know if this is the normal here or not. We were starving since we skipped breakfast and didnt sleep in too late.
chell
Mushu's Best Friend
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Jiko ended up being a few pages long in Word so I'm breaking it up over a few posts.
After looking at the pictures I realized that after our nap we headed to the Studios to see the Lights before heading to Jiko. If I had a memory I would be dangerous!
We got to the AKL early enough to look around and enjoy the Christmas decorations and the atmosphere. When Larry walked through the door it was all Ooohs and Ahhhs coming from him. He just loved their lobby. Maybe well have to stay here next time. After he took pictures and roamed around a bit he found me sitting by the fireplace/pit. We saw a photographer by the Christmas tree and decided we would get our picture made here but would do it after dinner mistake. When we came back upstairs after dinner the photographer was gone.
We checked in at Jiko and were seated within 2 or 3 minutes. If you have never been here you need to at least stop by to see the wine rack inside of Jiko. It is such a pretty display.
Our server was Ron who was originally from Pakistan. If he wasnt the best server of the trip he was right up there. He had a great personality and his timing was perfect. He took care of every need we had but didnt make us feel smothered. When he brought out the warm hand towels I just wanted to curl up with one. The Rose Water on them smelled so good and the warmth felt so good and I wasnt even cold at this point. My husband still hasnt completely gotten the concept of a warm hand town before dinner. But he did a little better with it here compared to dinner at Ohana.
Larry ordered the Ostrich Appetizer, Kenyan Coffee BBQ-Braised Beef Short Ribs and the Tanzanian Chocolate Cheesecake. I ordered the Samosas, Filet and cheese plate.
Have you ever been here? They have such cool birds hanging around the room. I just had to stare at them.
Look at how cool they are!
I just need to say that Im hungry right now and nothing here at home looks near as good as anything Im seeing in my pictures. **sigh**
After looking at the pictures I realized that after our nap we headed to the Studios to see the Lights before heading to Jiko. If I had a memory I would be dangerous!
We got to the AKL early enough to look around and enjoy the Christmas decorations and the atmosphere. When Larry walked through the door it was all Ooohs and Ahhhs coming from him. He just loved their lobby. Maybe well have to stay here next time. After he took pictures and roamed around a bit he found me sitting by the fireplace/pit. We saw a photographer by the Christmas tree and decided we would get our picture made here but would do it after dinner mistake. When we came back upstairs after dinner the photographer was gone.
We checked in at Jiko and were seated within 2 or 3 minutes. If you have never been here you need to at least stop by to see the wine rack inside of Jiko. It is such a pretty display.
Our server was Ron who was originally from Pakistan. If he wasnt the best server of the trip he was right up there. He had a great personality and his timing was perfect. He took care of every need we had but didnt make us feel smothered. When he brought out the warm hand towels I just wanted to curl up with one. The Rose Water on them smelled so good and the warmth felt so good and I wasnt even cold at this point. My husband still hasnt completely gotten the concept of a warm hand town before dinner. But he did a little better with it here compared to dinner at Ohana.
Larry ordered the Ostrich Appetizer, Kenyan Coffee BBQ-Braised Beef Short Ribs and the Tanzanian Chocolate Cheesecake. I ordered the Samosas, Filet and cheese plate.
Have you ever been here? They have such cool birds hanging around the room. I just had to stare at them.
Look at how cool they are!
I just need to say that Im hungry right now and nothing here at home looks near as good as anything Im seeing in my pictures. **sigh**
chell
Mushu's Best Friend
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Ron saw the camera on the table and told us to hang on that he would be right back. He took the things he was carrying to the back and came back to take our picture together. I thought that was very nice of him. I wish we had thought to do that at other restaurants.
Can you tell we werent exactly ready at the second he snapped the picture? Oh well.
We even took pictures of the place setting because we thought it was cool. The forks were a little heavier than most of the other Disney restaurants but really were a good weight. We have heavier forks at home and just love them because they dont bend or get messed up!
Here is the Ostrich Filet.
After reading the description on the menu I dont think Larry could tell it had cherries in it because he never said a word about them. He says it was a little tough and chewy because it wasnt cut against the grain. He said it had a good flavor. The sauce worked very well with it and really added to the flavor.
Over the years Ive read about Samosas but never had the opportunity to try them until this night.
Eeyore is eyeing my food. Look! His mouth is open and right at my plate.
I'm going to have to have a talk with him! 
These were so wonderful. The corn was very sweet and crisp. The dipping sauce was a great compliment. YUM!
This is so wrong that Im looking at all these pictures while hungry because now I can even start to smell the food again. EEK!
Larry went out on a limb and ordered the Short Ribs because he does not like coffee at all but had read good reviews of them here on the boards and wanted to give it a shot.
He says they were wonderful and only had a very slight hint of coffee. He says really, really, really good. Very tender, juicy, melt in your mouth. So I think he would highly recommend them to anyone.
Can you tell we werent exactly ready at the second he snapped the picture? Oh well.
We even took pictures of the place setting because we thought it was cool. The forks were a little heavier than most of the other Disney restaurants but really were a good weight. We have heavier forks at home and just love them because they dont bend or get messed up!
Here is the Ostrich Filet.
After reading the description on the menu I dont think Larry could tell it had cherries in it because he never said a word about them. He says it was a little tough and chewy because it wasnt cut against the grain. He said it had a good flavor. The sauce worked very well with it and really added to the flavor.
Over the years Ive read about Samosas but never had the opportunity to try them until this night.
Eeyore is eyeing my food. Look! His mouth is open and right at my plate.
I'm going to have to have a talk with him! These were so wonderful. The corn was very sweet and crisp. The dipping sauce was a great compliment. YUM!
This is so wrong that Im looking at all these pictures while hungry because now I can even start to smell the food again. EEK!
Larry went out on a limb and ordered the Short Ribs because he does not like coffee at all but had read good reviews of them here on the boards and wanted to give it a shot.
He says they were wonderful and only had a very slight hint of coffee. He says really, really, really good. Very tender, juicy, melt in your mouth. So I think he would highly recommend them to anyone.
chell
Mushu's Best Friend
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I do not like wine and cant have it either because of my allergies so I asked for the red wine reduction that comes with the filet and mac & cheese to be kept on the side. This fact made it difficult to get a good picture of the dish.
The mac & cheese is rather washed out, sorry about that. I know I wasnt brave and didnt go with and exciting different dish. But after reading so many reviews about this dish and seeing Samantha Brown talk about it being her favorite dish there I just had to try it. Well, it was okay. It wasnt anything great or outstanding. It was good though, dont get me wrong. It just wasnt anything to make a special trip back for. Next time we eat there Ill be more adventuresome and try something else. I guess the red wine reduction makes a huge difference. I did try a small bit of it but I just didnt like the sauce at all.
After dinner Ron brought us a complimentary Pistachio Crème Brulee. We dug right in and forgot to take a picture. OMG!!! This thing was AWESOME! It IS worth a trip back to Jiko for. This was the dessert I had planned on ordering because I love Crème Brulee but I was concerned as to how the chocolate layer on the bottom would blend with the rest of the dessert. It was perfect. It wasnt a heavy dessert either. YUM! I want one right now!!!
Larry decided to go ahead and eat another dessert and I decided to get the cheese plate to take back to the room for later in the evening. I didnt have any room and I knew I couldnt get the Crème Brulee to go.
The separate items in this dish are absolutely best when eaten together. They were both good, although the ice cream was a bit too strong alone for me. It is amazing how the chefs can come up with such great parings that really compliment one another so well. At first Larry took a bite of the cheesecake and wasnt overly impressed. But when he tried it with the ice cream he thought it was wonderful. Another discussion we had a few times on our Honeymoon is how well Disney brings ingredients together and compliment each component when the components are just okay on their own but together they are WOW.
One thing I forgot earlier is that shortly after we were seated the staff brought us a congratulations card. That was so sweet!
The mac & cheese is rather washed out, sorry about that. I know I wasnt brave and didnt go with and exciting different dish. But after reading so many reviews about this dish and seeing Samantha Brown talk about it being her favorite dish there I just had to try it. Well, it was okay. It wasnt anything great or outstanding. It was good though, dont get me wrong. It just wasnt anything to make a special trip back for. Next time we eat there Ill be more adventuresome and try something else. I guess the red wine reduction makes a huge difference. I did try a small bit of it but I just didnt like the sauce at all.
After dinner Ron brought us a complimentary Pistachio Crème Brulee. We dug right in and forgot to take a picture. OMG!!! This thing was AWESOME! It IS worth a trip back to Jiko for. This was the dessert I had planned on ordering because I love Crème Brulee but I was concerned as to how the chocolate layer on the bottom would blend with the rest of the dessert. It was perfect. It wasnt a heavy dessert either. YUM! I want one right now!!!
Larry decided to go ahead and eat another dessert and I decided to get the cheese plate to take back to the room for later in the evening. I didnt have any room and I knew I couldnt get the Crème Brulee to go.
The separate items in this dish are absolutely best when eaten together. They were both good, although the ice cream was a bit too strong alone for me. It is amazing how the chefs can come up with such great parings that really compliment one another so well. At first Larry took a bite of the cheesecake and wasnt overly impressed. But when he tried it with the ice cream he thought it was wonderful. Another discussion we had a few times on our Honeymoon is how well Disney brings ingredients together and compliment each component when the components are just okay on their own but together they are WOW.
One thing I forgot earlier is that shortly after we were seated the staff brought us a congratulations card. That was so sweet!
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Awesome reviews and pictures Chell! I love that roasted beet salad too, it is so amazing. I also noticed your "Mickey spot" in the picture before I read below and you pointed it out. So cool! lol
chell
Mushu's Best Friend
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Aaahhhhhhh JIKO, I adored the short rib and the creme brulee also! You guys make such a cute couple.
Thank you! Isn't that Creme Brulee awesome? I want more right now.
FirstMagic
Mouseketeer
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You have some great pictures throughout your review, but I agree, that picture Larry took of the moon in the sky is just AWESOME!
We've had to ask for rolls for lunch at Liberty Tree the last few times we ate there too, but I think they are worth asking for!
Can't wait to read more!
We've had to ask for rolls for lunch at Liberty Tree the last few times we ate there too, but I think they are worth asking for!
Can't wait to read more!
chell
Mushu's Best Friend
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Thanks! I couldn't believe how awesome that shot turned out.
Glad to know we weren't the only ones who had to ask for the rolls. I agree, they were very good.
Beep
My heart and soul live in Florida!
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Michelle, this is all brilliant! I loved the menus at Beaches and Cream - we are going there on our trip in December and now I know what I want 
Great info re Jiko. We are taking my parents there to say thank you for our wedding at the Boardwalk the week before so it was excellent to see some of the food.
We've eaten at Boma before but not Jiko. I love the people at the AKL, they are so friendly.
Glad you had a good trip and that Larry seemed to enjoy it so much. A Disney fan there me thinks
Great info re Jiko. We are taking my parents there to say thank you for our wedding at the Boardwalk the week before so it was excellent to see some of the food.
We've eaten at Boma before but not Jiko. I love the people at the AKL, they are so friendly.
Glad you had a good trip and that Larry seemed to enjoy it so much. A Disney fan there me thinks
I am loving your reviews, thanks for taking the time to post all the details! Im so glad you said about getting the filet at Jiko with the sauce on the side, I didnt realise you could ask for that, its a dish I know my DD would love but she hates her food swimming in sauce, but does like to try a little and has control over the amount when its on the side, I will definatley add Jiko to the list now I know they will do that with no issues.
You guys really do make such a cute couple!
You guys really do make such a cute couple!
chell
Mushu's Best Friend
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Michelle, this is all brilliant! I loved the menus at Beaches and Cream - we are going there on our trip in December and now I know what I want
Great info re Jiko. We are taking my parents there to say thank you for our wedding at the Boardwalk the week before so it was excellent to see some of the food.
We've eaten at Boma before but not Jiko. I love the people at the AKL, they are so friendly.
Glad you had a good trip and that Larry seemed to enjoy it so much. A Disney fan there me thinks
Thank you! I don't know why we didn't take pics of more menus. We meant to but forgot by the time we got to the next meal. HA!
Congrats on your upcoming Wedding. WDW is the BEST place for a Honeymoon. Make sure you get your Honeymoon pins. OOH, they also have the new ones with the magnets for your name that say "Just Married". Those are loads of fun to wear too.
It is so sweet of you to take your parents to Jiko. It really is a fabulous place to dine. All the staff we encountered were wonderful.
chell
Mushu's Best Friend
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I am loving your reviews, thanks for taking the time to post all the details! Im so glad you said about getting the filet at Jiko with the sauce on the side, I didnt realise you could ask for that, its a dish I know my DD would love but she hates her food swimming in sauce, but does like to try a little and has control over the amount when its on the side, I will definatley add Jiko to the list now I know they will do that with no issues.
You guys really do make such a cute couple!
You are welcome. Thank you! I'm glad so many people think we are a cute couple.
Glad I could help you. WDW restaurants have to be the most accommodating restaurants I've ever seen. I have several allergies and a few major dislikes and they always take care of things for me just the way I want or need them.
Hope you have a great time at Jiko!
EXCELLENT!
Having a WDW vacation to plan alleviates post-trip depression. In spite of all the problems of travel (I have muscular dystrophy, so we haul powerchair, ventilator and my nurse), DH has promised a Nov.-Dec. trip, and agreed on the Grand Floridian. I think it was the food that sold him!
Oh-- my nurse ordered EXACTLY the same meal your DH did, and he thought it was heavenly.
I'm loving your reviews.
Miri
aka
DizWisher
Having a WDW vacation to plan alleviates post-trip depression. In spite of all the problems of travel (I have muscular dystrophy, so we haul powerchair, ventilator and my nurse), DH has promised a Nov.-Dec. trip, and agreed on the Grand Floridian. I think it was the food that sold him!
Oh-- my nurse ordered EXACTLY the same meal your DH did, and he thought it was heavenly.
I'm loving your reviews.
Miri
aka
DizWisher
Cinderella&Dopey
We love everything Disney!
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Love your Reviews...I'm so excited about our honeymoon trip...I wish it would get here already!
Beep
My heart and soul live in Florida!
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I didn't know about the magnet pins, I like the sound of them. We've got t-shirts and bridal ears so it is going to be a blast!
Mom and Dad are paying for our accommodation which is a huge wedding present so the least we could do was take them somewhere really nice for dinner. We loved the theming at AK and Boma was brilliant, so we thought Jiko was a good choice.
The other one was Victoria and Alberts but I'm not sure that it is really 'us'. There are a lot of things on the menu that we wouldn't eat too.
Mom and Dad went to Orlando about 15 years ago so we've got a lot to show them, and they would love AK.
Roll on next December
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